Is it justified once judged?
by The cursed child
Summary: It is Hermione that confronts Draco about his mission, but during that conversation, she betrays everyone. What causes her to betray her friends and teachers, and is her betrayal even that, or is she making uncertainties certain?


**This came out of nowhere, but it wouldn't get out of my head... I don't own anything.**

Hermione watched as Harry talked to Katie Bell. Her friend was obsessed with Draco Malfoy, and with good reasons.

She had listened to everything Harry had overheard and suspected without really considering the facts hat he was giving her. She had known Malfoy for almost six years now, in which she'd never considered the possibility that the boy would follows in his father's footsteps.

The Slytherin was powerful, and he had more money than most people could dream of. He was cunning and smart, and she had refused to believe that he would follow a monster that had killed just as many purebloods as he'd killed Muggleborns.

She ignored Harry because of her conclusion, and that was a mistake. She forgot to consider one crucial aspect of the human mind: protection. She was confident that he would've never been a Death Eater, had his father not been imprisoned. He had only his mother now, and Voldemort was his only way to protect her.

But because of her fight with Ron, she had all the time she needed to collect all the facts, discard some of them, put some together, retrieve what she'd deemed unimportant, and it had fallen in to place.

She had not told Harry or Ron what she'd figured out, as there was a bigger game to play.

So when Draco Malfoy entered the hall, and his face went as white as a sheet as soon as he saw the Gryffindor chaser, she stood up to follow him as he turned on his heel.

She saw that Harry had noticed the Slytherin as well and she gestured for him that she would go.

Harry, who wanted Hermione to believe him, let her go, hoping that she would see what he had already seen.

Hermione followed Malfoy through the corridors, trying to shove as little students as possible out off her way. He ended up in one of the men's rooms in the castle and she listened as he cried.

Her first thought was to leave him there. To give him some privacy while he broke down with all the stress he was dealing with. To find another opportunity to confront him. But she had no idea when everything was going to happen. Harry was always checking the map, and she couldn't afford to let him know that she was doing this.

So she put her wand in her sleeve, knowing that a wounded animal was a dangerous animal, and entered the bathroom.

"Draco," she whispered, so she wouldn't startle the student.

The boy, shaking and tears running down his cheeks, tried to compose himself and sneered at her.

"This is the men's room, Granger."

"I know what you're going to do, Malfoy, and I want to talk to you about it."

"You know nothing, you filthy Mudblood," the boy retorted.

"Your mission is the murder of Albus Dumbledore," Hermione stated calmly.

That one had not been that hard to figure out. The poison and the necklace had both been for someone inside the castle. Harry had eliminated himself as the target, knowing that, had the necklace been meant for him, he would have died that day. The poison could've been for Slughorn, but the fact that he'd meant to give it to Dumbledore had been enough to confirm her suspicions. Draco's mission was a punishment. To accomplish the impossible.

Knowing that there was no way he could talk himself out off this, Draco decided that he should try to find out what she knew.

"What are you going to do about it? Report me?" Draco laughed, sounding close to hysterics.

This was the turning point. Was she going to let him sweat, by letting him think that she was telling the Headmaster, or was she going through with a plan that could possibly destroy everything. She knew the risks, but Dumbledore did too, this was the only way she could help.

"Why should I, he already knows." The words left her mouth, and guilt started to creep into her mind. She ignored what she felt and continued. Malfoy's face was tinted green and he looked as he was going to collapse any moment.

"I'm never going to be able to do it. The Dark Lord is going to kill me."

"I think that you will be more successful because he knows. In fact, you've already succeeded."

"What?" His head shot up and he looked her in the eye, like his whole world was changing.

"Tell me, Draco, do you know what happened to Dumbledore's hand?"

"He was poisoned, but it has been contained to his hand, that does not make him dead or dieing, Granger."

"You should've recognized the signs, Malfoy, it is temporary."

The moment he realised what he meant, his eyes started to shine with joy. Hermione felt disgusted that somebody could be happy because of someone's inevitable death, but reminded herself that she was not here to judge.

That joy was almost immediately replaced by suspicion.

"Why would you tell me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Because I need you."

"For what exactly?"

"You know that Professor Snape has sworn the Unbreakable Vow, do you not?"

"He's an idiot," Draco stated plainly, as if it didn't affect him in any way.

"Maybe, but it means one thing. Either of you has to kill Dumbledore before the poison spreads, or Snape will die."

"So, the man has been bothering me all year."

"Because it means that your Master will know that your mother asked him to make the vow in the first place, which will result in her death."

The joy that had been in his eyes a couple of seconds ago had now disappeared completely. The realisation that he would truly have to go through with his mission scared him beyond believe.

"How will I kill him if he knows that I have a mission."

"He's planned this."

That had been the hardest part to figure out.

""How?"

"Snape is on our side, has been for years."

It was the one piece of the puzzle that had helped her to figure it out. The whole plan, not just Draco's

"But…"

"Snape made the Vow, knowing that he would have to kill the Headmaster if you did not succeed. He wouldn't have taken that vow unless.."

"Dumbledore ordered him to."

She'd reached the same conclusion. The professor always used everything to his advantage, and he was not a man that wanted to whither away when people needed him the most.

Draco staggered back against the wall and his knees gave in, making him sit on the floor. He curled up, trying to become as small as possible, knowing that there was no way to not kill Dumbledore if he actually wanted Draco to do it.

"If you don't succeed, and the professor does, he'll have Voldemort's trust, which could be the turning point in the war."

"There are so many flaws in that plan, it'll never work."

"That's why I'm here, to inform you of what has to happen, of what you have to do. If there is a chance that Snape can kill him..," she stumbled over the words, "than you'll have to let him do it."

"If everyone believes what they should believe, he's of no use to any of you, the whole castle will want revenge."

"Don't underestimate what that man can do, he has fooled Voldemort for years while he was barely trusted, he will take full advantage of the trust he'll be given."

"I know, he is a Slytherin."

Both laughed without any real humour.

"In return, I ask of you only this, make sure no harm comes to Harry. Once we loose Dumbledore, many will give up fighting. They need someone to give them hope."

"I'll make sure you precious friends are save. We've never had this conversation."

He walked out of the door and Hermione was about to go back to the Great Hall when she caught her reflection in one of the mirrors.

She walked towards the reflecting glass and looked at her face. She'd grown a lot since she first entered Hogwarts. She had learned of friendship, of courage, of love. Lessons she hadn't thought would ever be taught at school. Magic had changed her, and she'd always been proud of who she'd become.

But in this mirror, she only saw the face of a traitor, the deception and the act. She was betraying Dumbledore and Harry, she had just betrayed the whole school, by helping a plan along that shouldn't even exist. Dumbledore's death would have a large impact on their side.

It made her think of many wise words and phrases, but in the end, there was only one clear enough to remember:

'Everyone thinks that their own reasons are the right reasons, but in the end, you are not in the jury, it is always others that judge, but maybe, if you are on time, you can be your own executioner.'

The mirror broke in a thousand pieces as Hermione crossed her arms and hugged herself, tears falling on the ground without making a sound.

**We always think our own reasons are just, but it is others that judge, so I ask you, was what she did right, or did she have no right to give all those secrets away? She prevents that Draco becomes a murderer, and gave more certainty to a sketchy plan, but at what cost, and is she truly a traitor?**


End file.
